Chapter 75 An Unexpected Reunion
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
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Amidst the roaring cheers.
The white rat stood on two legs.
With its fluffy belly puffed out, it looked incredibly proud. As expected of Ingrid's familiar.
"Squeak!"
Jeong Yoo-shin, snapping out of his daze, immediately jumped onto the stage.
It was a sudden move.
The people around him didn't have time to react.
Jeong Yoo-shin knelt on one knee in front of Lin.
"Lin, what are you doing here?"
"Squeak?"
Lin, who was standing on two legs, tilted her head. The small hat secured by her chin strap bobbed.
"Let's go home."
Jeong Yoo-shin held out his hand. Lin glanced at the fat clown, then scurried onto Jeong Yoo-shin's palm.
"Wait. Wait. Wait!!!"
The fat man, flustered, tried to stop Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin ignored him, tucked Lin into his shirt pocket, and stood up.
His shirt stretched from how well-fed Lin had become.
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at the fat clown.
"Did you kidnap Lin? You bastards are asking for death."
The fat clown whispered in a panic.
"No! I'll explain later, so just calm down and help me first!"
"Why should I?"
The audience was in chaos due to Jeong Yoo-shin's sudden interruption.
The murmurs grew louder. Proportionally, the sweat dripping from the fat man's face also increased.
"Hey! Aren't you Skar? The half-blood barbarian Oswald mentioned! We let you into the show, how can you do this to us?"
"You bastard. Do you know whose familiar Lin is?"
"Skar!"
Snout suddenly yelled.
Jeong Yoo-shin turned around and saw Snout shaking his head vehemently.
He was signaling him not to reveal the identity of the familiar.
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
He didn't understand why he shouldn't say it, but he decided to trust Snout.
"Skar, it would be best to finish the show properly. I'll go instead."
Snout said.
Gallerheim, his face pale, also nodded vigorously.
"No. I'll do it."
Jeong Yoo-shin took Lin out of his pocket and placed her on the floor.
"Go to Snout. We'll have a talk later. Where have you been gallivanting off to?"
"Squeak."
Lin nodded and scurried over to Snout.
"I'll take Lin's place."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's words, the fat man clapped his hands together.
"Thank you! No, wait, why should I be thanking you? Isn't this strange?"
The fat man suddenly started talking to himself, as if he were having a schizophrenic episode.
"Just get on with it."
Jeong Yoo-shin urged.
The fat man cleared his throat and shouted again.
"Ladies and gentlemen!!! We have a special guest for your entertainment!!! Move over, white rat!!! The half-blood barbarian is here!!!"
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
A different kind of excitement filled the tent.
However, some of the shouts weren't cheers of support.
"Kill him!!!"
"Cut off his dick!!!"
"He's my brother's enemy!!!"
Was this the consequence of responsibility without pleasure?
Seeing the enraged crowd, he thought the barbarian's karma must run deep.
But Jeong Yoo-shin, the virgin, was undeterred.
Jeong Yoo-shin picked his ear, looked around the audience, then drew his arming sword, still in its scabbard, and tossed it to Snout.
He stood on the thick wooden board and leaned against it.
The stagehands approached him and tied his hands and feet with ropes.
The fat man whispered something in the blindfolded orc's ear.
The orc's body trembled slightly.
Jeong Yoo-shin calmly looked at the orc.
"Now!!! Let's begin!!!"
The orc threw the axe.
Whoosh!!!
Thwack!
The axe pierced the thick wooden board.
Just to the left of Jeong Yoo-shin's neck.
The axe handle vibrated.
'Shit.'
He had stepped up bravely, but actually feeling the vibration of the axe made his heart pound.
"Kill him!!!"
"Hole puncher!!! Rapist!!!"
"My grandfather!!! Because of bastards like you... Ugh!"
Anger was mixed in with the cheers.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at the audience, dumbfounded.
"The grandfather thing is a bit..."
Thwack!
This time, to the right of his waist.
Thwack!
And this time…
Jeong Yoo-shin's expression froze.
Right below his groin. It landed between his legs.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
The axe had almost hit him in a very bad place.
A castrated, virgin barbarian in another world.
It wasn't a funny joke at all.
"Hey, do you want to die?"
Jeong Yoo-shin growled.
The orc's body trembled like a leaf.
"Uh... Sorry. Don't shake. Calm down."
Jeong Yoo-shin lowered his voice and spoke soothingly.
But it didn't have any effect on the trembling orc.
"I-I'm sorry. The target changed suddenly. I'm sorry!"
Whoosh!
Thwack!
The axe blade grazed Jeong Yoo-shin's cheek and embedded itself in the board.
A trickle of blood flowed down his cheek.
[Revenger]
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes blazed with blue flames.
"Calm down and listen to me. A little higher. Yes, throw it like that."
Jeong Yoo-shin coached him, and the orc threw the axe.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
The axe landed above his head.
Severed hair fluttered down.
'Sh... shit.'
One axe remained.
"A little to the left. Yes, there."
Whoosh!
Unfortunately.
The axe was aimed at Jeong Yoo-shin's head.
"Shit!"
His eyes widened. He could die.
He tilted his head slightly. An almost imperceptible movement.
Thwack!
Fortunately, the axe embedded itself where his head had been while vibrating.
He almost died.
"Hoo."
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a long sigh.
The oblivious audience roared with excitement.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Oh, fuck!!! Why isn't he dying?! Die!!!"
The fat man hurriedly walked onto the stage, took off his hat, and bowed.
"Thank you!!! Thank you!!! That concludes today's performance!!! We'll see you again next time!!!"
As soon as the man finished speaking, the band in the corner started playing.
Cheerful music filled the circus tent.
The people, seemingly reluctant to leave, chatted amongst themselves as they slowly exited the tent.
After the performance ended and the music died down.
The stagehands approached Jeong Yoo-shin and untied him.
"Bring that orc here."
Jeong Yoo-shin pointed at the orc.
The orc, his blindfold removed, approached him hesitantly.
Jeong Yoo-shin punched the orc in the gut.
"Oof!!!"
"Ugh!!!"
The orc knelt down and slammed his head against the floor.
The stagehands gathered around and murmured amongst themselves.
"Be grateful I'm letting you off with this. You should know better than anyone what could have happened, right?"
"U-Ugh... Yes."
The orc managed to reply.
The wound on his cheek slowly healed.
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms and looked at the audience seats.
Snout and Gallerheim stood up and approached him.
"Skar! That was amazing courage you showed!"
Snout said, his eyes sparkling.
"Impressive. As expected of a barbarian."
Gallerheim nodded in agreement.
"It was nothing. It wasn't that bad."
Jeong Yoo-shin shrugged.
'I almost died.'
He sighed in relief. Just then, the fat man approached them.
"I have something to tell you about that white rat."
Jeong Yoo-shin carefully observed the man's face, then shook his head.
"I'll hear it all from Oswald. Where is he?"
Hearing it from multiple sources would only confuse him.
The performance had been both entertaining and terrifying, but he hadn't forgotten his purpose.
"Follow me."
He followed the fat man deeper into the tent.
He noticed something as they passed through the tents.
The animals and monsters that had performed in the circus were sitting around, resting freely.
Strangely, the monsters and animals weren't in cages.
'Were they humans before?'
Jeong Yoo-shin swallowed his curiosity and continued walking.
In another tent, the clowns, having finished their performance, were gathered together, chatting and drinking.
Jeong Yoo-shin passed them and went to another area.
He entered a small tent and saw people with face paint gathered there.
And…
A man stood in the center.
A man with white makeup on his face and his hair slicked back.
Oswald.
An executive of the Shadow Clowns.
"You're here? Skar, I've been waiting. How was the show?"
"Thrilling. Why did you call me?"
"I wanted to talk about business."
Business?
Wasn't this about the Fifth Prince's nanny?
Jeong Yoo-shin rubbed his neck and spoke.
"There seem to be a bit too many people here for that kind of talk."
"Is that so? Everyone else, take a break."
"Yes."
The people dispersed.
"Sit down."
Oswald brought out a folding chair and offered it to Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin sat down, and Gallerheim and Snout stood behind him.
"Aren't you going to offer your guest some tea?"
"Would you drink it if I did?"
"No."
"I figured as much."
Oswald sat down, crossed his legs, and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Skar, did you put that magic stone I gave you to good use?"
"Yes. I used it for a good cause. But you're a bit stingy, aren't you?"
"What?"
"There was only half the mana in the magic stone."
"Is that so? Someone must have used it. I received it from someone else, so I don't know the details."
Oswald shrugged as if he had heard something trivial.
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
"So, what's this 'business' you wanted to talk about?"
"I wanted to talk about the Fifth Prince's nanny."
"Is there any reason I should know about that?"
"Not really, but listen anyway. It's somewhat related to you."
Oswald continued.
"Originally, I was going to hand over the Fifth Prince's nanny to the assassins. But I changed my mind."
"Why?"
"I found out that they're not simply targeting the Fifth Prince. They've joined forces with some merchants from the Lionel Kingdom."
The assassins had allied with some of the merchants?
"So?"
"Hear me out. There's evidence that some of the Lionel merchants have joined forces with the slave hunters."
Slave hunters?
"The Crimson Hunters. Are you talking about them?"
"That's right. A familiar name, isn't it?"
Assassins, merchants, and slave hunters had all allied together?
Something fishy was going on.
"What are those bastards up to?"
"They're not satisfied with just humans, so they're capturing monsters and animals. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Workers. Playthings. Display pieces. Various reasons."
Oswald added.
"And they also use them as sacrifices for leveling up."
Jeong Yoo-shin's face contorted in disgust.
Nausea welled up inside him.
'Those inhuman bastards.'
"They're back again after I crushed them last time?"
Snout interrupted.
"It's certainly strange. They're an organization that disappeared from Labyrinth City not long ago."
Oswald scratched his head.
"I don't know either. Anyway, I have one thing to ask. Help me kill the assassins. I need to rescue our people who are currently captured."
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms.
"That's a difficult request. And besides, why should I help you?"
"I heard you wiped out the slave hunters in that slum last time. I did some digging. The reason was that they killed a gnome family, right? You risked your life for ordinary, unremarkable people. I figured this would be something you'd be willing to do since there are people crossing the line."
This was strange.
Why would he be pleading like this with a mere novice explorer?
And the reason Oswald was giving didn't make sense.
He felt it instinctively.
Oswald was hiding something.
"..."
Oswald's expression turned serious.
"You saw our performance, right? They may have the appearance of monsters or animals because of their imprints, but inside, they're human. They're also people who are starving because they don't have special abilities. They live day by day, earning their living through performances. They're already struggling at the bottom of the barrel, do they also have to be captured and sold by others?"
"Can't they just leave Labyrinth City?"
At Jeong Yoo-shin's question, Oswald scoffed.
"Ha! They'll be hunted down and killed without exception. Talking monsters? They're a novelty, but that's not a reason to let them live. They'll barely survive a month's journey outside Labyrinth City. This is the safest place for them."
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his legs and fell into thought.
He felt increasingly uncomfortable with the direction Oswald's story was taking.
He had struggled and persevered, focusing only on his own survival.
He had helped those around him when he could, but that was all.
Did he need to know more about this issue?
He looked up at the ceiling of the tent. He instinctively felt this was a complicated problem.
Fighting always involved risking his life.
He couldn't see a compelling reason for him to get involved in this situation.
Besides, this bastard...
Hadn't he tried to kill him?
The sound of Oswald playing the lute in the labyrinth still echoed in his ears.
Jeong Yoo-shin spoke.
"Honestly, this is ridiculous. You, who accepted requests from trash like those assassins and talked about killing people, are now suddenly changing your tune and talking about justice? You're joking. Are you out of your mind?"
Oswald's expression hardened.
"Skar, you're right. I don't care much about the lives of those outside the eastern district. I admit it. I'm trash. But I want to protect the people around me. You don't understand. The feelings of those stuck in the eastern district, waiting for death."
Oswald pointed at Jeong Yoo-shin and continued.
"And those slave hunters will keep coming into Labyrinth City anyway. They're making astronomical amounts of money capturing people from other places, so they have plenty of resources. And do you think they'll leave you alone? No. Do you think everything will be over if you just let this slide? That's naive."
"That's my problem. Not yours."
Jeong Yoo-shin replied indifferently.
"Fuck! You're making me speechless."
Oswald fumed.
"Let's not resort to cursing. It's uncivilized."
"Do I have to suck your dick for you to help me?"
"Is this crazy bastard out of his mind?!"
Jeong Yoo-shin was enraged by Oswald's words.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? It's okay for other people to die, but your friends in the eastern district have to live? You accept requests from assassins, then you don't. What are you trying to do? Why are you so inconsistent? Are you crazy?"
"That's what being human is."
Oswald blurted out.
"I only found out about this information recently. I accepted the assassins' request just in case, to confirm it. Now that I know, I regret my actions."
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at Oswald.
He stood up.
"You're full of shit. If you want to save them, go yourself. Snout, Gallerheim. Let's go."
'I need to talk to Aldein about the Fifth Prince's nanny.'
Just then.
Someone strode into the tent.
"Skar, wait."
Maya stood there.
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes widened.
Maya?
Ahiman's disciple, whom he had met in Karin's party.
He thought she had gone somewhere with Ahiman, who had transformed into a lizard.
'What are you doing here...?'
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T/N - Honestly, I’m with the MC on this one. I feel pretty weirded out by Oswald’s inconsistent actions. It also feels like there’s more to this than he is letting on.
Also, another previous party member. I quite liked Ahiman the eldritch warlock. I would have thought that he would have removed his lizard imprint already, but judging from how Maya is here, he’s probably still a lizard. I wonder how they’re connected to the Shadow Clowns?